First of all, I’m making this public pledge to you so that I actually do it this time. I’ve been plateauing, hard, so need to mix it up. Also, I might save the world.

You may have heard recently in the news that eating meat is super bad for the environment. While delicious, the amount of resources it takes to actually put that piece of tender, perfectly cooked meat on your plate is contributing to global warming, climate change, ice melting and other science-y things. And that’s bad.

For more science – here’s the full story, via CNN.com

(CNN) An international team of scientists has developed a diet it says can improve health while ensuring sustainable food production to reduce further damage to the planet. The “planetary health diet” is based on cutting red meat and sugar consumption in half and upping intake of fruits, vegetables and nuts. And it can prevent up to 11.6 million premature deaths without harming the planet, says the report published Wednesday in the medical journal The Lancet. [full story]

My Planetary Diet Plan

The too-long-didn’t-read version is: Loads of vegetables, balanced carbs, a tiny bit of nuts, and meat a few times per month. As well as saving a lot of money on pricey animal proteins, I will be able to fit into my clothes again. Hopefully I’ll also have more energy and be more healthy.

As well as the types of food, the specifics make a difference too. Whole grain pastas, breads, and rice make a huge difference in how they’re digested. There are also lots of great alternatives to regular cupboard staples. For example, Catelli have a number of pastas made with whole grain Canadian wheat, ancient grains, or even a ‘supergreen‘ version with spinach, zucchini, broccoli, and kale!

So, who’s with me? I think I’m going to need a lot of help to stay on this healthy path, as well as ways to sneak in more veggies and less chicken nuggets into my daughter’s diet! Any ideas?